Solution 105 purchases EPCOR’s sub-metering business

Large multi-unit buildings and facilities benefit from cost-effective sub-metering after Solution 105 takes over services from major utility provider.

Solution 105 recently purchased EPCOR’s sub-metering business As a result of this purchase, Solution 105 has added over 300 metering points for large facilities including shopping centres, multi-unit residential buildings, storage facilities and commercial strip malls. Solution 105 is now providing read-and-bill services for over 4700 metering points in western Canada. Although EPCOR had offered these services in the past, a shift in focus meant that selling this component of the business was in the best interest of consumers relying on it.

Sub-metering allows the landlord or manager of a multi-tenant property, like a shopping mall or apartment complex, to bill tenants for their own utility usage. Utilities are usually read by a master meter, measuring all the energy used by an entire building rather than each unit. Sub-metering allows landlords and managers to more accurately bill each tenant for their energy usage which promotes energy conservation.

“Sub-metering has become a major part of our core business,” said Chris Vilcsak, President and CEO of Solution 105. “EPCOR chose us because of our reputation, service capabilities, responsiveness and customer focus. Since the transfer, we have been able to focus on resolving historic problems, some which have existed for over 2 years, and providing more tenant billing options to our new clients. Now the tenants have easy-to-read statements and a call centre service for ongoing support, while the owners and landlords know they have a strong service provider and that they are recovering their costs once again.”

Not only does Solution 105’s sub-metering allow landlords and facility managers to recover their utility costs, it also reduces the amount of energy used overall. Industry sources suggest tenants use 15 to 20 percent less energy when they are paying for their own usage, and Solution 105’s own experience in the industry confirms this figures.

“One of our first jobs gave us the opportunity to measure the effects of tenant behavior and energy usage before and after a submetering system was put in place – the average tenant reduction was 17.2%,” said Vilcsak.

By adding submetering to their service offering, Solution 105 has been able to investigate and solve utility usage and billing issues which might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

“One of our clients installed a submetering system, and by looking at the data we determined that their lighting system program was not operating as it should. By making a simple no-cost change, they were able to save hundreds of dollars a month. As a result of their focus and expertise, Solution 105 now provides sub-metering services to many of the largest property management firms in Canada, and can work with any type of metering system, including Carma, Quadlogic, Triacta and Intellimeter.”

About Solution 105

Solution 105 is an Edmonton-based measurement and analytics firm that brings clarity to the energy industry, making sense of the enormous amount of data and resolving any utility-related issues. Solution 105 helps clients measure and reduce consumption on individual properties as well as entire portfolios. Their mission is to create responsible stewardship of resources with a commitment to clients to enhance their environmental reputation and reduce their carbon footprint. Solution 105 takes care of the energy industry for their clients, allowing them to focus on running their business.